Website Description: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an agency that works for
Congress and the American people. Congress asks GAO to study the
programs and expenditures of the federal government. GAO, commonly
called the investigative arm of Congress or the congressional watchdog,
is independent and nonpartisan. It studies how the federal government
spends taxpayer dollars. GAO advises Congress and the heads of
executive agencies (such as Environmental Protection Agency, EPA,
Department of Defense, DOD, and Health and Human Services, HHS) about
ways to make government more effective and responsive. GAO evaluates
federal programs, audits federal expenditures, and issues legal
opinions. When GAO reports its findings to Congress, it recommends
actions. Its work leads to laws and acts that improve government
operations, and save billions of dollars.
